Historically, wagering gaming machines such as rotating reel slot machines were configured to accept coins and/or currency as a wager and were configured to dispense coins and/or currency as winnings. However, most gaming systems are now “cashless”, in that the gaming machines are configured to dispense tickets or vouchers which represent monetary value, instead of coins and/or currency.
For example, when a player desires to cash out funds belonging to them that are associated with the gaming machine (such as funds which the player provided to the gaming machine, less amounts wagered, plus amounts won), the gaming machine issues a ticket or voucher. The ticket or voucher represents the monetary cash-out value. The player can redeem the ticket at a central cashier station (which may be automated) or a cashier's cage or window (typically manned by a live cashier). When the voucher or ticket is redeemed, its value is confirmed and then currency and/or coins in the amount of the voucher are dispensed to the player.
Such a “cashless” system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,269. One advantage to these systems is that the gaming machines no longer need to be equipped with bill and coin storage and dispensing devices, simplifying the machines and their cost. Another advantage is that casinos no longer need to continuously service the machines to keep them full of currency and coins so that they can pay out winnings. For example, in the past, casinos had to constantly run change carts around the casino floor to keep the gaming machines filled with coins and/or currency to ensure that the gaming machines could pay out winnings.
However, there are other problems are associated with cashless gaming systems. One problem is that in order to convert their ticket to money, players must still redeem their tickets for actual monies. This requires players to travel to a cashier station or cashier cage. Players often find this extra step (as compared to getting paid directly by the gaming machine in currency and/or coins) cumbersome and, particularly relative to tickets that have a small value, some players may not even redeem them. These tickets are referred to as “orphaned” tickets by the casinos. At any time, a casino may have thousands of orphaned tickets in their accounting system. These orphaned tickets create a problem for the casino because they must still be tracked and stored and represent an outstanding liability to the casino because they might be redeemed at a point far into the future.
In addition, players may seek to redeem thousands of tickets per day. Thus, a casino must still stock the cashier stations and cashier cages with large amounts of currency and coins. For example, a casino may need to replenish the coins in an automated cashier station many times per day. Despite the fact that cashless gaming systems have been in operation for nearly 20 years, no solution has been found to this problem.
A method and system which addresses these and other problems associated with cashless gaming systems, and particularly the redemption of cashless gaming vouchers, is desired.